One Step Away
by Stormy Daye
Summary: Cory has been living with a nice woman he met after escaping the psych ward. He has changed for the better in some ways but will never forget the past. (Sequel to "Anywhere But Here")
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
The years passed by quickly living with Betsy Morris. She was very generous to me, buying me everything I ever needed. I grew to love her very much. I went back to school and felt as though I was living a normal life for the first time since I had entered the attic so many years ago.  
  
I still had trouble making friends at school but it didn't really matter to me since I always had Betsy to go home to. She was my best friend and I didn't feel like it was necessary to have any others. I kept to myself at school and I was happy that way.  
  
I got pretty good marks in school but I never felt proud of myself. I saw it as a way to get as far as I could in life. I was determined not to let my past experiences effect who I grew up to be. I wanted to make Betsy proud of me. I sort of thought that the only way to make people like me was to be smart. Even though I didn't have many friends, I still cared very much what people thought of me.  
  
I hated being in the spotlight because I was so preoccupied with what everyone must be thinking as they watched me. It wasn't a good feeling to be so self conscious all the time but I just couldn't build any confidence when it came to being around strangers.  
  
One thing that was always at the back of my mind was my family. I was happy with Betsy but there was a small part of me that still felt empty. I knew the void would never be filled until I was reunited with Chris, Cathy and Carrie again. I realized that I was too young to do it on my own and that was another reason why I made sure I did well in school. I had to be successful enough to have the right connections to find them again.  
  
When I started high school I continued to keep to myself but it was a little more difficult because I wanted so badly to fit in. I tried sports but I wasn't very coordinated. Art wasn't something I liked or was good at. Finally I tried music. It was by far my favourite class. My teacher Ms. Cole told me I was very talented and urged me to try the piano. She helped me the basic scales and I mastered those in such a short time that she told me I should get a private teacher.  
  
Betsy found a teacher for me that came very highly recommended. I knew she was spending a lot of money on him but when I asked her about it she said she would do anything to make me happy.  
  
I learned very quickly and my teacher, Mr. Walters, praised me every lesson. He was very happy with my progress and was convinced that I could be a famous pianist. His confidence in my abilities helped me become more and more sure of myself in many aspects of my life.  
  
By the time I entered my junior year in high school I was playing very complicated pieces of music. I was even becoming interested in writing music. But no matter how preoccupied I got with my music and schoolwork, I never forgot my real mission.  
  
Finding my family 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Every day that I had a piano lesson the minutes would feel like hours. I couldn't wait to get out of a boring history or math class to get to piano. It was my favourite thing to do. I had lessons on Monday and Thursday nights for two hours. Most of Mr. Walters' students only had one lesson a week but he told me I was his most promising student and he wanted to catch me up on all the years I had missed.  
  
I would take the bus to Mr. Walters' house after school and then take the bus back to Betsy's after.  
  
Today was Monday, just like any other Monday except the days seemed to be going by even slower. I was in my last class of the day, Math. It had just started and we were supposed to be working on our homework. I had already finished mine the night before. I was writing a new piece of music that I wanted to show Mr. Walters that night. I had been working on it for awhile and I thought it was pretty good for my first piece.  
  
"Class," my teacher got our attention. I looked up at her to see a small girl standing beside her. She had her head held high which made her look taller than she really was. Her hair was flaxen blond and her eyes a very clear blue that I could see from the back of the class.  
  
My heart started pounding. Was that Carrie? She looked just like I remembered her. Well, what I assumed Carrie would look like now.  
  
"This is Pamela Holden, she is new here to our school, please give welcome her," the teacher said. The class clapped halfheartedly and went back to their work. The teacher pointed to the desk right in front of me. Pamela came and sat down and a caught a whiff of her hair. It smelled like strawberries.  
  
I knew somehow that she wasn't Carrie; it was just a coincidence that she looked like her. I was seeing a lot of reminders of my family lately. Every person with blond hair reminded me of one of them. When I saw a ballerina on television I thought of Cathy. It hurt to think of them so much. Sometimes I wished I could just move on and forget about them, but I knew that would never happen.  
  
Even though I knew the new girl was not Carrie I still felt strangely drawn to her. Maybe it was because she looked so much like my sister. But I couldn't speak to her. She was too beautiful, too perfect. So far away from me.  
  
The class seemed to go by a lot faster that day. I could smell Pamela's shampoo the entire time and even though I had piano after school I didn't want the class to end. Somehow just being near Pamela made me feel better. I could pretend that she was Carrie.  
  
I made it to my piano lesson a little later. I had missed the first bus because I saw Pamela talking to some people near the gym. The cheerleaders. They were asking her to join the squad since she'd be easy to lift.  
  
I was disappointed she would be joining the cheerleaders. That would mean she would be even further out of my reach. I was invisible to the cheerleaders and the jocks. I guess it was better than being one of the people they picked on.  
  
"Good afternoon Cory," Mr. Walters said smiling. He was always in a good mood when I saw him. I had always liked him as a teacher. He was very good at playing the piano and he was patient enough to teach even beginners. He was an older man in his sixties; he had never been married. He said he traveled too much when he was young and never had enough time to settle down and find a wife.  
  
"Hi Mr. Walters," I said back I went to the piano and took out the latest song I had been practicing. It was Piano concerto No.21 in C by Mozart. It was very difficult and I was having a little trouble with it.  
  
I hadn't finished my own music because I hadn't been able to focus with the smell of Pamela's shampoo lingering around so I would have to work on it for Thursday.  
  
I played the concerto for a while until Mr. Walters stopped me.  
  
"Cory, it doesn't seem like you are really here today," he said.  
  
I shrugged, "I guess I just have a lot on my mind," I told him apologetically. I hated disappointing him. I hated disappointing anyone. It was really starting to get stressful.  
  
"That's alright, you can't be perfect everyday right?" he said. It was supposed to be a joke but I didn't smile. I just wasn't into playing the piano today.  
  
"Maybe we should cancel the rest of today's lesson," Mr. Walters said getting up.  
  
"Are you sure?" I asked.  
  
He nodded, "Everyone needs a break, even a piano genius like yourself," he said smiling. I smiled back and told him goodbye. The bus ride home was long and boring. I watched the people climb on and off the bus looking tired and worn out.  
  
When I got home Betsy already had supper on the table. Spaghetti. One of my favourites. It was almost like she knew when I was feeling down. My hallucinations involving food were now few and far between. I still had them once in awhile but they weren't as severe as they used to be. I would just take a few deep breaths and the visions would go away. I never told Betsy about them because I didn't want her to worry or regret taking me in.  
  
"How was your lesson?" she asked when we sat down to eat. "Good, he let me out early," I said.  
  
"I know, he called to let me know when you left," she said.  
  
I smiled. Someone always knew where I was. One thing about living here with Betsy was that I had little or no privacy. I never lied to her, she knew everything about me but sometimes I wanted to have a little space to myself. I very much appreciated everything she had done for me but it seemed like she was always hovering around. But I would never have the heart to tell her that. It would break her heart. I was her whole world.  
  
I decided to keep Pamela Holden a secret. I talked about finding my family so much; it made her sad. She thought I would leave her as soon as possible, which wasn't true at all. If she knew I liked a girl at school she would get protective and think I was going to leave her. She was very insecure. I thought maybe something had happened in her past. Maybe someone had left her before. Everyone had skeletons in the closet right? I know I did.  
  
"I'm going to get started on my homework," I told Betsy when I was done eating.  
  
"Okay dear, I'll be next door if you need any help, its bridge night," she said. She always played bridge with her friends on Monday nights. That was the only socializing she ever did. But who am I to judge? I didn't have any friends to begin with.  
  
I really didn't have any homework. I rarely did. I finished it at school or on the bus. I would spend the night it my room working on my music or listening to one of the classical music records I had.  
  
This was my life. School, piano, home. It had never affected me much before but seeing Pamela today make friends so quickly with the cheerleaders made me feel rejected. How come I didn't have friends like that?  
  
I looked at myself in the mirror. My flaxen blond hair was a little long but still neat and clean. My blue eyes were clear and rimmed with long eyelashes. My cheekbones were defined as well as my jaw. My teeth were straight and white enough. I wasn't so bad looking. I looked like Chris and I remembered how Cathy would tell him how good looking he was. Daddy too.  
  
Maybe I was just destined to experience life through my music. I was the observer, not the participant. I would have to admire Pamela from afar. Either that or grow a backbone in the next few days. Be like, Chris, I told myself. What would he do if he liked a girl? He would talk to her.  
  
I could do that too. 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
In the cafeteria on Tuesday I saw Pamela Holden sitting with the cheerleaders and football players at their regular table. The quarterback, Jonathan Burns was shooting spitballs at the lunch ladies and the rest of them were laughing hysterically. But I noticed that Pamela only smiled halfheartedly and looked away.  
  
She wasn't amused by Jonathan's immaturity. I smiled quickly to myself. She wasn't like other girls, that I could see. Most girls at my school would do anything to get Jonathan to notice them, even if it meant laughing at the innocent lunch ladies and acting like an idiot.  
  
"Hey Cory," a voice said.  
  
I tore my gaze away from Pamela and looked up at the only person that I ever really spoke to, Gavin Lockely. He was in the orchestra and I sometimes did some piano solos in the concerts they put on. He was like me in some ways. He didn't have many friends and he loved music. The only difference was he didn't care at all what people thought of him. That was something I admired. I wish I could be so carefree.  
  
"Hi Gavin," I said. He sat down across from me. He had a tray full with salad and what looked like a tofu grilled cheese-like sandwich. Gavin was a vegan. He didn't eat meat or anything that came from animals. He was very concerned about the environment and he was more health conscious than anyone I'd ever seen.  
  
My tray on the other hand had a cheeseburger and onion rings. Onion rings were my favourite food. I had been deprived of so much while I was in the attic that I never got sick of onion rings. Fried chicken on the other hand would made me gag if I just smelled it.  
  
"Are you going to do anything in the concert next week?" Gavin asked taking a bite of his tofu sandwich.  
  
"I don't know yet, I might," I told him. The conductor had already asked me but I wasn't sure I wanted to do it. I always got painfully nervous when I was on stage in front of all those people. It was a almost a phobia for me. The only thing that calmed me down was getting into the music. Usually once I started playing, I could forget about the audience but for the time before it was very nerve wracking.  
  
"You should, everyone loves you," Gavin said smiling. He liked to joke that everyone came to the concerts to see me, not the orchestra. It embarrassed me that so many people knew about my piano playing.  
  
"No they don't," I insisted.  
  
"Sure they do, don't be so modest," he said. He glanced around the cafeteria and yanked his bright orange cowboy hat over his face. As if that would hide him. "Mr. Bright is coming," he muttered. Mr. Bright was the principal and he wasn't exactly Gavin's biggest fan. He had been suspended three times for passing out flyers for a dance club. Mr. Bright had strict rules against advertising for things outside of school. Gavin's favourite thing other than music was dancing. He went crazy on the dance floor doing everything he could think of. It never made sense, he just liked to be noticed and when he flailed around in his multicoloured cowboy hats and plaid slacks and suspender, you couldn't help but notice him.  
  
"Good afternoon Mr. Lockely, I expect you are being as obedient as I know you can be today," Mr. Bright said.  
  
Gavin pushed his hat to the side and gave Mr. Bright a fake smile, "Of course sir," he said automatically.  
  
"Remember, one more suspension and that's it, you are no longer a student here," Mr. Bright said.  
  
Gavin's plastered on smile tightened, "Thank you for reminding me sir," Gavin said. Mr. Bright nodded and walked away.  
  
Gavin rolled his eyes, "He's just waiting for me to break a rule," he said.  
  
I shrugged.  
  
Just then Pamela and the cheerleaders walked by giggling and pointing at someone they considered a "loser".  
  
Gavin stuck out his foot and Becky Sawyer stumbled over it. When she steadied herself she and her groupies turned around giving Gavin a look that could kill.  
  
"What is your problem freak?" Becky asked.  
  
"Nothing, I'm not the one who tripped over my own feet," Gavin said smirking. He always teased the cheerleaders. He thought they were cliché and shallow. He was right.  
  
"You tripped me," Becky shot back.  
  
"You tripped yourself," Gavin said.  
  
"Don't worry Becky, he's just trying to get your attention because he has a crush, he wants to hang out with people like us, he doesn't know that the highest he'll get on the popularity scale is that kid," Becky's friend nodded at me. She obviously didn't even know my name.  
  
I blushed and looked away.  
  
"Are you going to let her talk about you like that?" Gavin asked me, his face turning red.  
  
I looked away. I couldn't say anything to them. I just couldn't.  
  
Becky and her friends just laughed and walked away. They had won yet another one of their many battles. They never lost when it came to the popularity game.  
  
I watched Pamela as she followed them away. When they got to the door she looked over her shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. I looked away from her. She pitied me. Great way to get a girl to notice you. That never would have happened to Chris. He would have stood up for himself.  
  
More and more every day I was wishing I was more like Chris.  
  
"I gotta go Cory," Gavin said sighing. He didn't say anything about the confrontation before walking through the same door I had watched Pamela disappear through seconds before.  
  
A day in the life of Cory Morris.  
  
As I rode the bus to my piano lesson that night I contemplated changing my last name back to Dollanganger. Maybe then some of the confidence that was in my genes would come back to me. I knew my father was confident and so was Chris. It had to be inside me somewhere right?  
  
But Betsy would be so disappointed and I just didn't know if I could disappoint another person right now. I was sick of being a disappointment. I disappointed Mama, Chris, Cathy and Carrie by getting sick and leaving them, Penny and Craig by losing my mind, Jordan at the hospital by letting the mouse we kept as a pet go, and now Gavin by being weak, by not being able to stand up for myself.  
  
But wasn't it best to stop living by what other people might think. I had to stop caring so much, it wasn't good for me to be so self conscience.  
  
Yeah, better said than done. 


End file.
